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Reviews
Betty White's Off Their Rockers (2012)
What a disappointment
When the show came on after another show I had chosen to watch, I left the TV on. I had never heard of it before, but I chose to watch because Betty White's comedic genius is usually spot on and hilarious.
Wow. With a couple of exceptions, the show wasn't even funny. The concept for the show is fun - a "candid camera" style prank show featuring elderly actors as the pranksters, but sheesh - the show was so raunchy and twisted that I was disgusted by 90% of the content. The jokes actually feed on stereotypes and the shock value of persons you expect to be mature gleefully behaving inappropriately instead.
I'll never watch again.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
A Fun Look at the World of High Fashion
This is a film about choices. It is about the impact a persons choices have on their own lives and others, and the slippery slope that begins when you put on your first pair of designer shoes. A weighty subject, yes, but it is all dressed up in pretty clothes and glamorous settings - plenty of eye candy in this film! Anne Hathaway was decent in a more mature role as Andrea, although it was a similar theme to the "Princess Diaries" - Ugly Duckling (More a fish out of water here) transformed through the mystical powers of the make-over. I liked that the film devoted just enough time to Andrea's character development that the contrast of the before and after was reflected not just externally, but internally as well. The real treat was Meryl Streep in the title role as the devilish Miranda Priestly, who delights in tormenting her minions. The film was nicely paced - just the right length for the story it told, and wasn't at all heavy handed with the moral.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Not exactly a Caribbean Cruise
This was a fun, rollicking, watery, barnacle encrusted tale of adventure in the Pirate infested West Indies, complete with love, honor, betrayal, revenge, sword-fights and a rain-soaked wedding dress that keeps turning up. The dread pirate Depp, aka Captain Jack Sparrow was in as good a form as ever, and did not disappoint. Appearances of characters we knew from the first film gave the story a familiarity and continuity I hadn't anticipated, and yet the film stands well on its own with lots of characters that have "history" with Jack Sparrow - that guy sure gets around! Knightly and Bloom both turned in stronger performances this time around, which was a pleasant surprise. This film is darker than the first, but there are still plenty of comic moments to provide relief, and sufficient complexities to the characters to give depth where you might expect a caricature.